Over the past few years, Gen Z has become one of the most sought-after demographics to target across a variety of industries. According to Forbes, nearly 88% of Gen Z regularly use Instagram, so brands have adapted their strategies to cater to that audience through social media. It is important for brands to be cognizant of the ever-changing landscape of social media, with users demanding more and more capabilities and features from the apps that they spend most of their time on. So, as one of the largest audiences of the 21st century, how can your business reach them? What can you do to set yourself apart from the hundreds of accounts they’ll scroll past on a daily basis?
Definition of Gen Z: refers to the generation of anyone born between the late 1990s and early 2000s// Generally filled with tech-savvy, open-minded, individualistic yet socially responsible members.
Focus on eye-catching and visual content
When creating content for your Instagram page, focus on images that are bright, colorful, and so visually appealing that they could make someone stop scrolling. This doesn’t have to be achieved with every post, but it’s essential to develop interesting content that stands apart from other users’ posts in a feed. For Gen Z, they have a great appreciation for realistic and lifelike content, so be sure to avoid any images that appear too stock-like or promote something unattainable.
Plan out your grid
The grid of your Instagram page is one of the essential factors that can often stand between you and a potential follow. When someone is interested in a product or service, they often turn to Instagram to see what is offered. Grids with a consistent flow of content and similar colors or posts are more likely to receive a follow because it appears to stick to a specific aesthetic. For example, this may be adding a preset or set editing style to each post and planning out how one post may look alongside another before you click share.
Use Instagram stories
Instagram stories are a great way to reach the Gen Z audience as they serve as real-time posts and offer a more authentic and personal way to connect with followers. Platform updates continue to optimize, evolve, and add new features to give brands new methods of storytelling. Given that most of this generation uses Snapchat to send photos and update their friends on their every move, Instagram Stories mimic a similar style and purpose while offering the option for users to swipe up and reply to a story via direct message. Whether you choose to reshare from another account or a swipe up with a link to your website, Stories can deliver your content to the intended audience with further engagement potential. Just remember to pin relevant stories as a highlight on your business’ profile, otherwise, they’ll disappear after 24 hours.
Try out Instagram video or Reels
Similar to the effect of Stories, Instagram video and Reels are another great way to reach Gen Z. Following the rise of TikTok, video-style content across platforms has seen massive success, with brands and organizations keeping their followers engaged and interested rather than seeing just another image on their feed. With this avenue, it’s best to utilize it in a way that continues the push towards authentic and natural content, avoiding the impression of an ad. Be sure to include members from your team and their personalities to showcase the people behind the brand in addition to your products or services, along with a trending sound and relevant text on-screen.
Collaborate with influencers
For the Gen Z audience, one of the best ways to reach them is to collaborate with people that are just like them. Influencers with an already established audience across Instagram can be a great resource for getting your name across and can help connect you with an often hard-to-reach demographic. Whichever industry you fall under, there is an influencer for you, much like the Flexible Packaging Association’s Perfect Packaging collaboration to promote flexible and sustainable packaging with lifestyle blogger, Leisurely Layne. This approach will create brand awareness and lead to greater followership while allowing the opportunity for you to build a unique audience.
Gen Z is expected to become an even larger demographic for brands in the next few years, while they’ve already proved to be a significant influence when it comes to buying power. Reaching this generation can seem complex, but with massive platforms like Instagram, there are plenty of opportunities to make realistic and creative content that will resonate well and push your brand to those making the most significant impact on exposure.
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